He has done the impossible and has won RacingThePlanet’s 4th Desert race – Antarctica. He has become the first person EVER to win all 4 RacingThePlanet events in one single year.

Incase you don’t quite recognise the magnitude of this achievement, let me remind you that the 4 deserts in question are: The Atacama Crossing, Chile – the driest desert in the world; the Gobi March in China – the hottest; the Sahara Race, Egypt – the windiest and now The Last Desert, Antarctica – the coldest.

The last and final stage was a day of many records being broken apart from Sandes’ magnificent achievement – he went into the lead on the first day and never relinquished it.

The final stage, Stage 4, was the most beautiful. Before they’d left the mothership they were treated to the sublime sight of hunting Orca’s, a humpback whale, icebergs and penguins. The race was staged in Dorian Bay on a massive glacier. The first 2.3km loop was the most difficult as the snow was knee deep which made for very hard going, but once everyone had been round the snow became more compacted and the power walk could become a run – albeit a rather slow treacherous one as there was no way of knowing what was underfoot. The views from the top of the glacier were spectacular.

Apart from Ryan Sandes becoming the first person ever to win all 4 events in the same year, Peter Jong and Stan Lee became the first two competitors ever to finish 5 RacingThePlanet events in one calendar year.

There were also 9 Grand Slammers. Along with Jong and Lee the competitors who completed all 4 deserts this year were: Paul Acheson, Samantha Gash, Terumasa Mori, David O’Brien, Linda Quirk, Lucy Rivers Bulkeley and Philip Tye. All are now automatic members of the exclusive 4 Deserts Club.